A note on "Long-distance ESP: A controlled study."

Evaluated the quantitative data reported by T. Moss, A. Chang, and M. Levitt (see pa, vol. 45:3204) from the standpoint of whether esp actually was demonstrated. Because of shortcomings in methods of statistical analysis and control procedures it is concluded that the findings do not provide convincing evidence for esp, long-distance or otherwise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reply to Baron.

Comments on J. Baron's article on the relevance of experimental psychology (American Psychologist, 1971, 26, 713-716),arguing that it would be good if APA, or better still an organization outside the APA, would appoint a team of psychologists of different persuasions to help the government allocate funds for psychological research. It would be a good idea, too, for another team to evaluate such research in terms of whether it is reaching its objectives and to make recommendations as to whether it should be allowed to continue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-distance ESP: A controlled study.

Using a group of 22 transmitters (Ts) in Los Angeles, and 3 groups of receivers (Rs) in Los Angeles (N = 28), New York (N = 15), and Sussex, England (N = 14), a long-distance ESP study was conducted in which a series of 3 emotional episodes and 3 control episodes were shown Ts in Los Angeles. After each episode, Ts wrote their reactions, while at the same (local) time, Rs wrote their free associations. After writing these impressions, Rs were shown a pair of slides and chose the 1 slide which best matched their impressions. Results show that the 57 Rs scored significantly beyond chance expectations (p     

Reply to Levinger's note.

Levinger's extension of the complementary-needs (CN) hypothesis is assessed (see 38: 5867). Although superior to previous CN formulations, it remains a vague statement of faith, lacking theoretical precision and empirical support. The study of needs—complementary or otherwise—is not likely to be fruitful in marriage research. Examples from group dynamics, statistical learning theory, operant theory, personality theory, and phenomenology all demonstrate a general movement in psychology away from the examination of stable traits and motives and toward the use of stimulus situations as predictive constructs. Husbands and wives are spurred to action by stimuli which are not operative in their lives as bartenders and secretaries. Marriage research must specify the stimuli which are specific to spousehood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirical constraints on theories of scientific reasoning: Reply to Baron (1990).

J. Baron (see record 1990-27432-001) makes two assertions concerning our research on reflectiveness in scientific reasoning (D. Duemler and R. E. Mayer; see record 1989-14366-001): (a) His theory, particularly as stated in Baron (1988), predicts our findings, and (b) we have misnamed the independent variable in our study as reflectiveness. In this essay, we briefly respond to each assertion and call for three improvements in theories of scientific reasoning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A case of ESP: critique of "Personal values and ESP scores" by Gertrude R. Schmeidler.

The statistics employed in the subject study (see 27: 4909) are questioned and the author concludes that the findings presented are "due not so much to telepathy as to numerology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Letter to the Editor": Reply.

Responds to the comments by D. E. Berlyne (see record 2007-02140-027) on the original article by P. O. Davidson (see record 2007-02137-003) on "Graduate training and research funding for clinical psychology in Canada." Dr. Berlyne's general point is well taken. The intention of Dr. Davidson was to provoke not to offend and he apparently missed the 'fine line distinction' in the paragraph to which Dr. Berlyne refers. The word 'hobby' need not be considered as pejorative term in the 'hobby-horse' sense. In using this term Davidson was indicating that while studies ABOUT the rat may be a favorite (and valuable) research subject for some researchers he was not prepared to assume that it is the main business of psychology. Davidson agrees completely with Dr. Berlyne that much of this research can be justified as both necessary and valuable but given our limited research resources these days and increasing governmental involvement in directions of research spending, such justification must be given and too often is not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"ESP and credibility in science": Response.

Responds to R. A. McConnell's (see record 1969-16553-001) concern that psychologists are uninterested in ESP from a physicist's point of view. A causal explanation in terms of physical interactions is needed to interest scientists in ESP, since explaining ESP requires the assumption of a new kind of force. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"A note" acknowledged.

Replying to Jacob's (see 29: 1456) comments on a previous paper, the writer suggests certain limitations to the comparisons between the ACE and the AIA Orientation test arising out of (1) difference in N's involved in computing the correlations, (2) differences due to time of administration of the tests, and (3) restriction of the comparison of the AIA to a single scholastic ability test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report from "Utopia": A note on professional training.

The transition from science-oriented to profession-oriented training is examined. It is argued that (1) scientific and professional psychologists espouse different values, (2) where they belong to the same university department, they compete for the same limited resources, (3) in this competition, the professionals hold the trump card of "relevance," (4) the result is a new imbalance between science and profession with the latter in the dominant position. A fundamentalist remedy is proposed along the lines of Albee which would place psychology in the same relation to the health professions as, for example, physiology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"A functional analysis of depression": Reply.

Responds to A. A. Lazarus's (1974) suggestion that C. B. Ferster (see record 1974-11260-001) failed to recognize some significant clinical subtleties in his functional analysis of depression. The need to pay attention to mentalistic concepts despite a behavioristic orientation is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on "ethnocentrism" and acquiescent response sets.

93 high school students were given the 9-item E scale, the reversed F scale, and the Gough intolerance scale. Even though the Gough intolerance scale correlated positively with the E scale it also correlated positively with agreement to reversed F scale items. The results emphasize the "necessity of controlling item form in studying certain attitude contents, such as 'ethnocentrism' or 'authoritarianism.' " (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

ESP and flying saucers: A challenge to parapsychologists.

It has been claimed that the reason it may be impossible to devise a "repeatable" ESP experiment--one that gives results favorable to ESP in at least a majority of repetitions done by qualified skeptical experimenters--is that variables of personality and of attitude toward ESP in experimenters as well as in subjects affect results and that some experimenters are doomed to failure. On occasion, the necessity of this criterion of repeatability has been blandly denied, although it has been a fundamental requirement of proof in all experimental science. Both flying saucers and ESP may exist, but few trained experimentalists will accept them as proved until they have met all criteria of controlled experimentation, including repeatability of the observations. To obtain this proof the experimenter must accept the responsibility of specifying the conditions under which consistent observations may be made. Since there is no universal negative, an hypothesis of the nature of ESP cannot, be disproved, and the burden of proof rests squarely on the positive claimants. As a major step in furnishing the necessary repeatability for experimental proof of ESP, the author challenges the parapsychologists to settle upon one experimental design--any one that offers adequate control--and to obtain adequate repetitions of it with positive results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"More on 'Monkey Tricks'": Reply.

Suggests that J. Harvey (see record 2005-11080-006) fundamentally did not grasp S. Kaplan's (see record 2005-11049-006) major thesis. The heart of Kaplan's viewpoint is that "The social definition is not added on to a biological constant which remains unchanged, but the social definition dominates and transforms biological reflexes." Kaplan's approach also does not delineate any dichotomy between biology and culture. Rather, it seems to the reviewer, it points up the fact that the very biologicalness of men is qualitatively transformed into new, different entities because of variegated acculturations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rejoinder to "A critique of 'Fears as attitudes.' "

Replies to E. B. Blanchard and T. E. Elkin's (see PA, Vol. 51:Issue 3) criticism of the present author's assertion that fears are attitudes. It is argued that Blanchard and Elkin arrived at the alternative conclusion that attitudes are like fears because they employed alternative statistical procedures. The legitimacy of the original analysis is reasserted, and some problems with the alternatives are pointed out. Blanchard and Elkin wrote from a theoretical position which favors studying social psychological problems rather than clinical problems. This stance is not shared by the present author. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)